Shaving oils are sold for some purpose or other, and I have never been able to understand why; providing lubrication alone will never let a hair be cut easily as the hair's shaft must be softened with moisture first. I have always regarded shaving oils as some form of nonsense to be sold to the uneducated. But now I have figured out a way to use them that works.

First wash your face with soap or detergent to remove all grease/oil/sebum from the hair. A detergent in the form of a shower gel might be best here, as it removes more oil than a soap with some superfatting. Rinse with hot water for a long time to allow as much water as possible to be soaked into the de-greased hair shafts. Once the hair is as soft as it can be, apply the oil of choice. A few drops will do for the whole face, and it should be rubbed in well. Now you can shave, but you have to remember where your razor has been as there is no lather to tell you what's been done and what is left. The oil will stay on the skin, and you can continue to a second pass, and/or some blade-buffing and still have that protective layer of oil on the surface. Apply aftershave on top of the oil that's left on your skin and you're done.

So, why the heck would I try this? I love soaps and creams and their scents. But for travel purposes it might make sense. There's always some tiny bottle of shampoo in a hotel room that can be used for de-greasing. A bottle of eye drops can be emptied and refilled with some suitable oil, and 10ml will provide 3 weeks of shaves. No brush will be needed. So the shaving component of your toilet bag can be reduced to a razor and one blade, plus a tiny bottle of oil and your aftershave.

I'm working on this as I have to fit all the necessities for two people for ten days into the trunk of a 1990 Miata. I'm down to one camera body, two lenses, and only one kind of film that will work for day or night, colour or B&W. Not shaving at all would let me have a third lens, but would result in no wife a few days in, and the cost of a taxi to get her home. More lessons in the art of compromise!

Makes sense, Chris. Thanks for going to the trouble to work it out and to report your findings to us.

This is basically what I do with Oliveology Shave "Gel," which is more properly a liquid. It takes very little of this product to cover the skin, but it provides excellent glide and protection. Unlike oil, however, it likes water. It works best when applied to wet skin, and I spritz it with an atomizer between passes.

It was available with it, but mine doesn't have it. Many racers de-power the rack for better feel, and a de-powered car has a little smaller lock to lock range on the steering wheel than one that was never fitted with power steering. No power brakes, no ABS, no airbags, no traction control. Just an engine, chassis and a cassette player (fortunately I never threw away my cassettes!)

drmoss_ca wrote:It was available with it, but mine doesn't have it. Many racers de-power the rack for better feel, and a de-powered car has a little smaller lock to lock range on the steering wheel than one that was never fitted with power steering. No power brakes, no ABS, no airbags, no traction control. Just an engine, chassis and a cassette player (fortunately I never threw away my cassettes!)

C.

My preference would also be no power assist. I used to go for smaller cars so that I could get unassisted steering, but I don't think any car sold in the US, and probably Canada, is available without it now. Furthermore, the electrical assist (vs hydraulic assist) used in most cars today defeats steering feel even more.

drmoss_ca wrote:
So, why the heck would I try this? I love soaps and creams and their scents. But for travel purposes it might make sense. There's always some tiny bottle of shampoo in a hotel room that can be used for de-greasing. A bottle of eye drops can be emptied and refilled with some suitable oil, and 10ml will provide 3 weeks of shaves. No brush will be needed. So the shaving component of your toilet bag can be reduced to a razor and one blade, plus a tiny bottle of oil and your aftershave.

Or.... you could just settle for an 1800s vintage Gentlemans/Officer's necessary kit, if you can find one.

drmoss_ca wrote:It was available with it, but mine doesn't have it. Many racers de-power the rack for better feel, and a de-powered car has a little smaller lock to lock range on the steering wheel than one that was never fitted with power steering. No power brakes, no ABS, no airbags, no traction control. Just an engine, chassis and a cassette player (fortunately I never threw away my cassettes!)

C.

Strange, I would have thought that a Morgan +8 with a solid oak frame would have been more to your taste in 2 seater vehicles?

When I was small enough to disregard sex in the way that we are supposed to do nowadays, my best friend was a girl called Jane, a few houses up the road. She was from a large catholic family and had several brothers, some of whom seemed to occupy themselves revivifying old Morgan three-wheelers - older ones from the 1920's and 1930's. I could ask for nothing better than a reborn Three-Wheeler. Behold:

Chris, great video. I love Morgan's, especially the +4, but the Three-wheeler is something else. I'd think driving a Three-wheeler would be akin to shaving with a straight razor...pretty bloody scary. I can't imagine driving one on the Cabot Trail.

Oops..... The mind, she is weak. Then again, that dredged up the memory of a line spoken by Mulder, holding a baseball bat, while Scully was bent over, searching for evidence, in an Xfiles episode: "Nice piece of ash".

The oak idea may have come from someone whom I used to know, quite some time ago. He owned 3 Morgans (all of the 4 wheel variety) and I could have swore he said he used oak in his restorations (white oak is resistant to rot if I recall correctly... something that may be in dispute at this point).

Convert the cassettes to mp3 and put them on your phone the use a 1/8 jack to cassette adapter to play though the car audio. The space freed up by not needing a dozen or so cassettes will easily be enough for another camera lens and some shaving gear.